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Suspicious TTIP’s reports used freely by US ambassadors in Bulgaria

Looks like that the American ambassador in Bulgaria Eric Rubin is great supporter of TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). The problem is that he and some other close to TTIP fans, started to use statistics from one very strange “report”. The report, itself is labeled “Made in Bulgaria” by the Bulgarian Academy of Science. It is all full with expected positive effects which can be experienced almost immediately after TTIP become reality. The main problem now is that the Bulgarian Academy of Science never create, order or

publish any researches about TTIP. Never in its long history. Looks like one of the sides is not telling the truth. Shanomag found some more details.

During a speech at U.S. Chamber of Commerce on 20th of May 2016, the ambassador of USA in Bulgaria-Eric Rubin has informed that – “ According to report completed by Bulgarian Academy of science, the positive effects from TTIP for Bulgaria will be: Level of export will rise with 7.7% and the labor productivity with 6.8%.. At the end of 2014, former ambassador of USA – Marcie Berman Ries backed similar positive report regarding the good effects expected for Bulgarian commerce.

“All reports and the analysis about the effects of TTIP between USA and EU, are published by research teams of scientists working in USA. This kind of reports never been created or published by Bulgarian Academy of Science”. This was the reply from the vice prime minister in Bulgaria – Miglena Kuneva.

The same position she took when replied to a letter from Bulgarian left part deputy George Giokov. She was asking openly “Who created this report, who finance it and who order it?”

The American group of scientists who created the report is led by Professor James Anderson from Boston college. There were only one Bulgarian scientist, who take part in the researchers noted in the report – Yoto Yotov from Drexel University. During the summer of 2014 he was on research position in Economy Institute of Bulgarian Academy of Science. This was the only connection with Bulgarian Academy of Science.hg

Earlier in 2014 the organization “Bulgarian Unity“ informed that there is no such report and that : ““The Report “of BAN was used by two American ambassadors in Bulgaria to instill ideas and conclusions for the “good” side of TTIP”.

On 3rd of December Marcie Berman Ries justified some profits which Bulgarian can achieve through this “report”, during speech on event organized by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Committee of the Italian Entrepreneurship, The American Embassy in Sofia and Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “The expectations are for increasing of the export from Bulgaria to USA with 7.7%., calculated by research of BAN” she added at the end.

Members from “Bulgarian Unity“ sent an open letter to the American Embassy in Bulgaria, with request to receive this so famous “report”. At this stage, there is no any reply on their request. The only report ever made in Bulgaria regarding TTIP was created by Bulgarian Institute for Market Economics ordered and sponsored from USA.

Hint on TTIP : The content of the drafts of agreement, as well as the reports on negotiation rounds, are classified from the public, an arrangement that The Independent criticised as “secretive and undemocratic”. As noted above, elected representatives may only view the texts in a secure “reading room” in Brussels, to avoid any further leaks of information about TTIP negotiations into the public domain.

To answer the criticism, the European Commission has made negotiation documents public, including all EU proposals in the regulatory and rules components of the agreement. The Trade Commissioner has described the negotiations as “the most transparent trade talks ever conducted by the EU”.